Once Upon Another Story
by Romanov Ruby
Summary: Anastasia and KH crossover, based in Russia. The search for Anastasia's brother, Alexei. Which characters will also find their way to Russia?
1. Chapter 1

The year is 1930 in rural Russia, snow covers St. Petersburg in a fresh white blanket welcoming the holiday season with open arms. A couple sits cozily on a bench near an orphanage. The young woman snuggled under the young man's arm smiling. With each breath a white mist passes each of their lips as they laugh at each other's jokes.

After a few moments, the female sat up, her aqua eyes staring deeply into his chestnut irises passionately, as if she had just came up with a brilliant idea. Her smile widened as she grabbed his arm, her body bouncing eagerly.

"What is it Anya?" The young man replied.

He was concerned; he hadn't seen Anya so happy since they left Paris. By happy he meant not hitting him with that hot-tempered child attitude he had fallen in love with. It reminded him of the times he had seen her when he was a lad worked in the palace.

Sitting on her knees she spoke with enthusiasm, "Have you ever wondered what happened to my brother, Alexis?"

Her voice was more serious than her smile.

He cleared his throat with a cough as he turned to her slowly; understanding written on his face.

"What gave you this idea?"

Anya turned her head away, gazing at the snow covered orphanage.

"Well, you know, I just have a hunch that he's alive. Dimitri, you know better than me that he could possibly be alive. He was running right next to me, then I went back to get my music box. Everything's a blur after that."

Lowering her head, she scanned the wool gloves she had from the orphanage as if they had the answer to her question.

Dimitri stroked her shoulder gently, trying to calm her down. He couldn't imagine losing his entire family like she had. He had never seen her so down, what happened to that spunky girl he knew all his life.

"I don't know what to tell you. Perhaps the palace holds the answers you're looking for."

Dimitri didn't know what he was saying, the palace, being his residence, he had full access and he knew how to get in. This assumption of Alexei surviving the Russian Revolution was inconceivable, but the longing for Anya's smile compelled him. The palace being only a short walk away, he took her hand and walked down the snowy path. Anya hurried behind him, clutching his hand tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

Yawning, Sora opened his sapphire eyes slowly, the morning sun beaming through his window and the seagulls crying as they soared over the ocean, he heard his mother rustling about in the kitchen probably getting breakfast ready. He'd been sleepy the past few weeks, he had returned from another adventure with Riku and Kairi recently. The smell of toast and scrambled eggs filled the air, Sora tumbled out of bed. His hair tangled, he wore only boxers, which had racecars on them; a present from his mother.

"Too early," he mumbled.

He wandered into the kitchen smiling at his mom, who smiled back happily. Kairi stood perfectly behind the woman blocking Sora's vision of her as he passed through the doorway.

"Oh, you're just in time Sora. Sit down and have some breakfast. Your friends want to join us as well."

Sora immediately covered his bare chest, crossing his arms tightly around his body, giving himself a bear hug.

"Friends what friends, you invited my friends over!?" Sora hysterically asked his mother.

"Morning Sora, sleeping in again I see," Kairi peeked around his mother giggling.

Sora blushed heavily, "Kairi!"

He rushed back to the door of his room in a panic-like run until he heard another familiar voice; this one belonged to a male, he instantly recognized Riku's voice.

"Nice boxers Sora," Riku's sarcastic voice blurted out, he immediately starting laughing as Sora ran into his room and slammed the door loudly.

He felt safety in his room, leaning up against his bedroom door; he scanned his messy floor for a shirt and jeans. He put on the first shirt and pants he saw and rushed to the dining room; he could hear the plates being set on the table. His dirty white shirt and blue jeans smelled. He muttered annoyed thoughts to himself, about Riku, before he sat down next to Kairi, who smiled and kissed his cheek after he sat.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked.

With a nod, Sora spooned some scrambled eggs onto his plate and squeezed some ketchup over them. Riku shook his head and chuckled to himself, he didn't approve of Sora and Kairi dating. Envious as he was, he had been dating around since he returned from Castle Oblivion with Sora; only three months ago. King Mickey sent them another bottle shortly after they returned to their homes on Destiny Islands.

Sora's mom grabbed her coat then walked around the table.

Ruffling her son's hair as she calmly said, "Well, I gotta go to work. If you leave, write a note and post it on the fridge, okay?"

Sora's mouth, being full of food, opened to talk, "Okay."

Kairi nudged Sora with her shoulder, "Don't talk with your mouth full."

Riku coolly replied, "So rude, bye Mrs. - Ouch"!

Sora grinned at him from over the table. Riku furrowed his eyebrows while Kairi waved to Sora's mom shrugging her shoulders. Sora's hand brushed Kairi's hair as he leaned back in the chair, the door slowly shutting behind his mom. Riku stared at him angrily from across the table, stare contest, while Kairi stood up and began to clear the table. Riku's leg throbbed from Sora's kick; he fake-smiled as he glanced up at Sora's normally spiked brown hair, clearly unwashed.

"You should go take a shower Sora," Riku jested.

Kairi rinsed the dishes off before she stood behind Sora's chair again before she nodded saying, "Yeah Sora, go take a shower and then we'll go to the island."

He inclined his head and looked up at Kairi, who beamed a smile back at him. Standing up he walked around the wooden table, without a word slowly making his way to the bathroom. Riku watched him closely, raising an eyebrow; he knew Sora had something up his sleeve. He always knew because Sora had a smirk on his face; a mischievous smirk. As Sora passed behind Riku's stool, Riku watched his every move, following Sora with his teal eyes. Suddenly as he cleared Riku's chair, Sora turned around to pinch Riku in the arm, but Riku pushed him into the bathroom and locked the door.

Sora despised getting ready, especially the washing part, sighing he turned on the shower. He removed his shirt, jeans, and boxers before stepping into the porcelain tub. The lukewarm water streaked down his body. Sora stood under the shower head for a moment; he missed Donald and Goofy. As he washed his hair with the cheap shampoo his mom had bought, memories flooded his mind; images of the great times he had shared with them only a few months ago. While rinsing the shampoo out of his hair, he grabbed the soap and quickly washed his body before turning off the shower. He shrugged and breathed out, shaking his brown mane like a dog; water dotted his cold arms.

_Where are they at this very second?_ Sora thought to himself.

Steam covered the tiny mirror above the shower; Sora wiped cleaned with his towel before wrapping the cloth around his waist. He leaned his hands against the corners of the sink, looking at his reflection sighing deeply.

_Man, where are you guys? _

"True friendship can never be forgotten, even if it's brief," Sora talked to himself as he brushed his teeth.

His fingers ran through his chestnut hair; the gooey substance cooling his scalp and spiking his hair; cheap gel.

With another stifled breath he picked up his dirty clothes and quickly dressed in them. Kairi had wanted to go to the island for a while now. The island held too many memories; it hurt him to play there like old times.

_Aren't I stronger now? Why do I feel so weak? Why do I miss Donald and Goofy so much?_

Sora's mind wouldn't stop thinking; it's started to tear him apart.

One final look in the mirror before he opened the door, two figures stood before him, Donald and Goofy. Eyes staring owlishly at him, they both smiled and laughed looking at each other before they pounced on Sora tackling him to the ground. Laughing uncontrollably, Sora's eyes began to water as he began hugging and squeezing his long lost friends. Moments passed, it felt like an eternity, before Sora, Donald, and Goofy realized; they were sitting in snow.

"Quack, what the-" Donald jumped up rubbing his bare-bottom.

Goofy chuckled while he helped Sora to his feet, "Gwarsh, you look cold Sora. Where are you're shoes?"

Bare-feet, short sleeves, and wet hair, not a good outfit for snowy weather; Sora shivered terribly. Teeth chattering all around, they huddled together, their lips beginning to turn blue. Sora watched Donald fall to the ground first; it wasn't long before Sora did as well. Goofy kneeled down rubbing his arms, an icicle hung from the tip of his nose. A brief moment later Sora felt the vibration of Goofy falling to the snowy ground.

"I love you guys. I wish we had more time." Sora whispered.

A blanket of black covered their eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Finally! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I had fun with this one, especially towards the end. Tell me what you guys think.

Gray clouds pierced the sky, snow fell and covered Sora, Donald, and Goofy with a thick coat of cold white ice. When Sora came to, he was lying on his stomach face down, darkness echoed all around him.

_Where am I? Is this a dream?_

Falling, falling, into darkness.

All he wanted was sleep, to fade into a deep slumber, but he remembered Donald and Goofy were here too.

He shouted into the void, "Donald! Goofy! Are you guys okay?"

Emptiness echoed in reply.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy were lost; they needed to be found and soon.

Snow crunched under Anya and Dimitri's boots as they walked in the snowy park towards the town of St. Petersburg. The sky looked gray; snow slowly started to fall. The flakes tickled Anya's nose as she hugged Dimitri's arm. Dimitri smiled at her; he loved her more than anything; very rare for a guy like him. A con man, that's what Anya's grandmother had called him in Paris, but that was before she knew about Anya.

Anya clung to Dimitri's arm. She'd never felt closer to anyone in her entire life. Ever since she'd been kicked out of the orphanage when she turned eighteen, he was the first man she ever had feelings for.

"It's really starting to come down now," Dimitri said as he looked into the gray sky.

"We better hurry to the palace before we get caught in this blizzard," Anya replied as she hurried ahead pulling Dimitri along.

Immediately after they began to run, the wind blew into a gust, the cold snow hitting their already numb faces. It became almost impossible to see; Anya squeezed Dimitri's hand and used her free hand to shield her face from the stinging ice.

"Anya! We should slow down, I can't see a thing!" Dimitri slowed down trying to pull Anya back, but it just made his hand slip out of hers.

Dimitri stopped and realized what had just happened; he lost her. He looked around; all he saw was swirling white show.

"Anya!" He yelled into the white void. "Can you hear me!?"

Anya was still running so determined to get to the palace that it took her awhile to realized no one was holding her hand.

She spun around, her breath starting to quicken, "Dimitri!"

Everything was spinning; Anya could feel her heart racing. She felt like a lost child who'd lost their mother, only she'd lost someone more important. She began looking for him; she hadn't a clue to where she was going. After about twenty minutes of searching for him, Anya sat down on the cold ice. She brought her knees into her chest, wrapping her arms around them, and burying her head in her arms.

"What should I do? I've lost Dimitri," she whispered to herself.

She felt tears well-up in her eyes, at least they felt warm on her numb cheeks. Wiping her tears away with her left arm she noticed something that didn't quite fit sticking out of the snow, just about three feet from her.

They were an orange yellow in color and there were two of them. Anya cocked her head and crawled over to the strange objects. Removing her glove, she reached out and squeezed one of them. She gasped and retracted her hand quickly; they felt like rubber. She scratched her head for a moment, then her jaw-dropped; they were giant duck feet!

A bit frightened, Anya proceeded to brush the rest of the snow off.

_Is it still alive?_

As she uncovered the snow from its small body, she noticed it was breathing, but barely.

"Anya!" she could hear Dimitri's voice as the snowfall started to let up.

"Dimitri?" Anya rose to her feet and ran towards his voice.

As their eyes meet once again, they embraced each other tightly; Anya felt safe in her loves' arms. She rested her head on his shoulder and then snapped it back up; she wanted to show him her discovery.

Dimitri looked into her eyes worriedly, "What is it Anya?"

Anya ran over to the giant duck in the snow, "Look what I found; an enormous duck."

Dimitri stroked his chin curiously as he approached and examined it carefully. While he checked the duck and poked it a few times, he noticed two more lumps in the snow.

"What about those ones?" he pointed to the other two snow-covered piles.

Running over to one of them, Anya quickly brushed off the snow, "This one's a boy! He doesn't look so good."

Dimitri proceeded in uncovering a dog-looking thing; it was also knocked out cold.

"Hmmm well whoever, whatever, and wherever these things came from. They obviously didn't know they were coming to Russia. Just look at how they're dressed. Not suitable for snow at all," Dimitri said standing up and scratching his head.

"We need to get them outta here Dimitri," Anya said concerned.

Dimitri took off his jacket and placed it on top of the lad; he was in the worst shape. He rubbed the back of his head and sighed, puffing out his cheeks.

"I'll run into town and get a sled. We'll take them to the palace," he said.

Anya sat in the snow next to the boy. "I'll stay with them and make sure none of them stop breathing," she said nodding to Dimitri.

Returning her nod, Dimitri ran down the path into town. Anya watched him fade into the distance; it would be a good half hour before he returned.

She looked at the boy again and stroked his cheek, "Hang in there, help's here."

Remember to review!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Greetings readers! I'm alive, I now I said I wouldn't be finishing this story, but I'm gonna try to at least get to a part with Alexei in it. I apologize for the wait, 2 years, wow, thank you for the support. The reviews are what made me come back. This chapter will probably be short since I somewhat rushed it. Review are greatly appreciated.

The snow continued to fall as Anya waited; it had already been twenty minutes since Dimitri left for the sled. Usually Anya could stand being in the cold for hours upon hours, but sitting in the snow was different; her teeth started to chatter as her legs began to feel numb. Sora's head rested in her lap, his lips blue and his spiked hair frozen, she stoked his cheek softly and kept her eye on his chest to make sure he was still breathing. She watched the other two creatures as well, pondering just who and what they were.

The blizzard made seeing anything almost impossible. Anya could barely see Dimitri coming until he was about ten feet away. She heard a horse trotting too, it would make everything so much easier. She slowly stood up as he approached, taking Sora along with her. He wasn't heavy at all, she picked him up with ease. After they put Donald and Goofy into the sled, Anya and Dimitri sat in the front together as they headed for the palace.

Sora stood alone in his unconscious state. A blank dream. He stared into the what seemed like an endless world of white. Nothing around him and nothing but nothing, nothingness. Was this what it felt like to be dead? No, he wasn't dead. He knew he was dreaming. After realizing this, something happened, Sora woke-up.

"Where am I!" Sora sat up in a heavy sweat-soaked bed. He breathed erratically and looked around frantically.

"Donald! Goofy!" He continued to scream in a panic.

A woman ran into the room, "You're awake! Stay calm, you're safe here. We won't hurt you." She crouched down at the foot of the bed watching him. Her gaze was warm, gentle, and understanding.

Sora pushed the covers away and leaned against the headboard of the huge bed. He looked around as his memory came back to him. He remembered seeing Donald and Goofy again and then being cold, very cold. His eyes scanned the room, it was huge, just like the bed he sat on, everything looked like old antiques. His gaze wandered to the woman, who waited patiently as he looked around; she smiled at his curiosity.

"How're you feeling?" She asked.

"I'm fine," he answered quickly.

"Who are you?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, of course, you can call me Anya," she answered and walked over to the bedside.

"Dimitri and I, well, we found you half dead in the snow. Your, um, friends, are here too. They are your friends, right?" She said as she sat down in a chair next to the bed.

Sora looked at her and nodded rapidly, "A dog and a duck! You found them too? Where are they? Are they okay?"

She stood up again, "Wow! Settle down, yes, they're here. They haven't woken up yet. They're in the next room."

Sora leaned back again, he was feeling a little weak. At least Donald and Goofy were safe. He could rest a little. The woman, Anya, spoke again, "Yes, I suggest you rest some more You almost died back there, your body needs to rest."

Sora nodded and laid his head on the soft pillow. His eyelids became heavy again as he closed them and drifted to sleep. Anya covered him with the blanket and walked out of the room, closing the door quietly. At least no one died today, that was her only thought. She still didn't even know the boys name.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Hi again readers, I'm really excited that my story is being read. Your reviews make me so happy too. This chapter is longer than the previous one, I'd say it's like a continuation of Chapter 4. Also, shout out to my brother, Dragoon Tidus, who helped me with the basics on this one. I focused on Sora and Anya in this chapter. Sorry, DimitrixAnya love next chapter, promise.

**Chapter 5**

The room was completely dark when Sora opened his eyes again. This time, he wasn't all sweaty, but his body ached all over like he had just lost a huge battle. As he sat up in the bed, his head began to spin. He immediately fell back against the pillow with a flop.

"Ow," he said to himself.

He brought his hand up to the side of his head and rubbed it for a few seconds.

"Man, what happened to me? Something got the best of me."

Then he remembered, a woman named Anya claimed he had brought him here along with Donald and Goofy. He also recalled she said they all had nearly died, which didn't surprise him; it felt like he'd been through hell and back. Who exactly was she though, and where precisely was "here"?

_I need to find Donald and Goofy_, he thought to himself. Pulling back the covers, Sora scooted to the side of the bed. He knew he wasn't wearing his own clothes, they smelled far too clean to be his. By the feeling of the clothes, he figured he was wearing a sweatshirt, slacks, oh, and still no shoes. Even in the pitch, black room_, _Sora could see and place all the furniture, he could thank the realm of darkness for that ability.

Once his eyes found the door, he decided to try to get up on his feet. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet hovering inches from the floor, and took a deep breath. Inhaling air through his mouth and exhaling through his mouth, with a hop of his legs and a little in his wrists, Sora was standing again.

_What a relief, his legs still worked. _He walked over the door and grasped the handle. Sora then pressed his right ear to the door, he listened, and couldn't hear a sound, so he turned the handle and opened the door slowly. He proceeded down what seemed to be a hallway. The marble tile felt cool and very, very dusty. The air was thick with a musty-scent as well. Right away, he could tell that this place had been abandoned. No one would keep their house this dusty, not even him.

Sora coughed as he continued to wander around the enormous building, looking out for any signs of his friends or the woman he met so briefly before, Anya. Then an idea came to him, what if he just screamed hysterically like before? That seemed to have worked out quite quickly before. Sora stopped in the middle of the hall, threw his head back, and yelled, "AHHHHH!"

In a matter of seconds, Sora could hear rustling and shuffling coming from the end of the hall. A figure appeared, of course it only looked like a shadow at first; it was coming at him pretty fast.

Then he heard her voice, "Oh my god, ar-are you….o..kay?"

Sora smirked, his plan worked, he replied calmly, "Yes, I'm okay, it's Anya right?"

He held his hand out in greeting, "I'm Sora."

When she got to him, Anya took his hand, scratching her head at the same time.

"Nice to meet you Sora. I hoped you'd wake up soon. I'd prefer it to be in the morning and not on the middle of the night, but the bright side is you're feeling better."

Sora smiled and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, sorry about that, I tend to wake up whenever I'm all rested."

Sora looked at Anya up and down, making a mental note, like he always did. She wore a big brown jacket, obviously not wearing anything underneath it though, since she held it so tightly around her body. Her brown hair was tossed into a messy ponytail and he noticed little bags under her eyes; she had something bothering her.

He cleared his throat, "Well, now that you're here. You've got some s'plaining to do!"

Anya giggled, "Ha-ha, so do you! You go first, anything you want to know, just name it."

"First things first, where am I! I mean, one minute I'm in my house, I open the door, and find snow all around me. I turn around, and the damn doors gone! What the heck right? Did you summon us here? Are you a witch?"

Sora shook his finger at Anya, taking step after step closer to her. He didn't look or sound angry though, Anya just blinked and held her breath, stepping back as he stepped forward.

"Uh, no, I'm not a witch, I didn't summon you here, and you're in Russia, St. Petersburg to be precise."

Sora dropped his hand and stood up straight. He rubbed his head again and grinned.

"Okay, that answered one of my questions, thanks Anya. Hope I didn't scare you right there."

She laughed a little and shook her head, "No, not at all Sora. I thought it was quite comical actually, your face and voice wasn't scary at all. All right, my turn to ask questions."

As their inquisitions continued, they both ended up sitting on the dusty floor. Anya told Sora how she discovered her past. She explained to him that the building they were in was a palace, and that she used to live in it a long time ago. By the look on his face, she figured he put the pieces together that she was royalty. She told him about Dimitri too; how they met, and how much she loved him.

When she finished, Sora told her about his adventures to the many worlds in the sky. How he was the Keyblade Master, the one chosen to protect every single heart in every single world, and what that meant for the one's close to his heart. A vision of Kairi's face kept popping into his head. He stared at the ground after he was done talking.

Their conversation had gone on for so long that eventually the darkness turned to light in the old palace as the morning sun peaked through the clouds, waking up St. Petersburg. Anya watched Sora's unwavering blue eyes, he looked sad.

"Hey…," she said.

Sora snapped his head up and looked at her, "Hm, what?"

Anya slowly shook her head, crossing her arms and yawning, "Nothing…I was just gonna head back to sleep for a bit. Will you be okay out here by yourself?"

Sora nodded, looking at his toes as he wiggled them.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he said smiling.

He watched her as she walked back the way she came, hearing the door close, he knew she made it back to her room.

Sora's bones still ached as he got to his feet again. He winced as he walked back up the hallway. Before he got to his room though, he heard a deep, dark voice coming from down a different hallway. He thought it was Dimitri, but he remembered Anya saying he was asleep. No one had passed down the hallway either while Anya and him were talking too. Who could it be?

Walking pass the door to his room, Sora tip-toed quietly towards the voice. He didn't want to admit it, but it sounded familiar. He wanted to catch a glimpse of this person though, just to be sure. If it was the person he was thinking of, he knew why he was summoned to St. Petersburg. As Sora neared the room where the voice was coming from, he stifled his breathing, making sure it was as soundless as possible. The voice continued speaking, but when Sora touched the handle, the voice stopped, then he heard a swooshing sound. Sora kicked the door open, the room was empty.

On his way back to his room, Sora stared at his footsteps worriedly. He knew something evil was happening here. Now, he knew whom might be behind it too. He didn't know how it was possible for him to come back, but there was no denying that that was the sound of his menacing voice; it was Xemnas'.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I apologize for another long hiatus. My life is pretty busy this year, and I'm still in school. I adore getting reviews on this story, because I put so much of my imagination into it, and it makes me feel so accomplished to receive positive feedback for it. Remember to REVIEW!**

The early morning light had crept in through the window sill as Anya slipped back into bed again. Her eyes were getting heavy before she even hit the mattress. She was still trying to process the conversation she had just had with Sora. The boy who traveled to many worlds before, but had never been to Russia; perhaps he held the key that could help find Alexei. All these thoughts ran through her mind like an enormous puzzle waiting to be put together. Anya was ready to find out the mysterious boy's true intentions.

Dimitri's whole head remained hidden under the pillow while he groaned sleepily and said, "Where'd you wander off to at three in the morning, Missy?"

He tugged at the covers and scooted closer to her warm body; pretending she didn't hear him. Anya pulled herself toward Dimitri as well. They both put their arms around each other giggling as they cuddled with one another. Their noses touched and they nuzzled back and forth while staring deeply into each other's eyes.

Smiling she responded to his question, "The boy we found woke-up. You didn't hear him screaming? I was talking to him for a little bit.

Anya scrunched her nose as she continued speaking, "He said he is "The Chosen One." Chosen by this weapon called the Keyblade."

Anya opened her eyes widely at Dimitri and sat up. "Dimitri…do you think he may know something about Alexei?"

"Hmmm…"Dimitri scratched his head and propped his head up with his free hand so he was level with Anya.

"Well, I really don't know. Why you're so worked up about finding your brother?" He watched her face, waiting for her temper to show itself. To his surprise, she only lowered her head slightly, staring at the down comforter.

Clearing his throat Dimitri spoke again, "I mean, what has it been? Twelve years since you last saw him alive, right? Plus, he had that disease too; what's it called hypo…hemi…"

"Hemophilia is what it's called," Anya finished his sentence for him in a monotone voice.

"Yeah," Dimitri said. "You really think he could've survived all this time on his own? He obviously hasn't been found, because he would've ended up in that orphanage with you. I don't know, I don't think you have any substantial evidence to work with Anya."

He rubbed his left eye as the two remained silent for a few moments. Maybe he'd better lay-off talking about her brother. As he shifted his weight to his back again, he turned his head slowly and watched Anya's unwavering aquamarine colored eyes stare at the white bed sheets. He could hear her breathing turn into soft sobs and tears began welling-up in her eyes. He reached out his hand and stroked her back softly.

"Anya, c'mon, I didn't mean to-to you know? I was only trying to…Don't cry…" he tried to soothe her, as he cupped her face with his hand, wiping the tears away with his thumb. "I'm just telling you the truth."

"Only telling me the truth?" Anya mocked him as she pushed his hand away from her face.

She snapped back at him, "You don't know the truth! How could you even say such a thing!"

Her eyes scanned Dimitri's face as she quickly jumped out of bed. Holding his gaze as she began to pace around the room. She could feel her face starting to get hot with anger. Dimitri couldn't be against her in this. She loved him; don't couples always agree with each other? No, she had to do this by herself. He didn't believe Alexei had survived the Revolution anyways.

There had to be some sliver of evidence left inside this place. She'd be happy with any kind of memory of her little brother; even a tiny one. Perhaps Sora would help her. After all, he was summoned here for a reason, maybe helping her find Alexei was that reason. Sora would aid her even if it wasn't what he came here for. He didn't know it wasn't either…

After getting dressed, Anya found herself in the dusty hall once again, marching quickly to Sora's room. Dimitri was still in bed, like the lazy bum she had always known he was. She didn't mind the dust; after all, she grew-up in a stinky, old orphanage with a bunch of un-bathed kids running all over the place. What's the problem with a little dust? She slowly came to a halt in front of Sora's door. Taking in a few deep breaths, she calmly knocked on the door.

"Ahem, Sora, I need to ask you something. It's Anya." She waited for an answer after she spoke.

She waited a few more seconds before twisting the handle and slowly opening the door. The door creaked, like it hadn't been oiled in years, and Anya made a face as the sound pierced her eardrums. She looked around the room for Sora and came to the conclusion that he wasn't here.

_Not here? Humph… He's probably looking for something to eat. He hasn't eaten since we found him. _ Anya thought to herself, closing the door behind her. She headed to the kitchen before she looked in any other rooms. She was positive he was there; he's a guy. Guys can't control their hunger-pangs like women do. She laughed to herself and shook her head lightly as she made the long walk to the kitchen.

Once Anya rounded a corner to the kitchen, she could hear the shattering sound of plates hitting the floor, and a few quick curse words that followed, obviously spoken by Sora. She hastened her paced and stood in the doorway, her arms crossed as she overlooked the masterpiece that stood before her. The entire kitchen looked as if it had been ransacked. All the cabinets were ajar; dishes and silverware covered the floor, and in the corner was a less than apologetic-looking, Sora. He sensed her presence immediately and rushed over to her, grabbing her hands, a crazy look in his eyes.

"Anya, you're here! Help me, there's nothing to eat in this place." His speech was panicky and jittery.

Anya stared into the pleading eyes of the young teen. He looked like had just escaped from a convent. There were tiny little bags under his eyes, and his right one twitched as he waited for some sort of reply from the woman.

She couldn't help but giggle to herself as she patted his hands comfortingly. "Calm down, Sora. Why does it seem I always find you in trouble? You know this place is abandoned, right? Why would we keep food in a place like this?"

Sora scratched his head and his nose and smiled, "Uh, well, you know, I just like seeing ya, Anya." He leaned back against the door frame nonchalantly. "I just thought a place as big as this has got to have some good grub stashed somewhere, so I went on a little hunt for a bite to eat."

"Well, I know some great, little restaurants in this town. Why don't we go to one?" Anya shrugged and gestured her head towards a window. A tiny slit of the sunrays made her eyes gleam.

Sora scratched his head again, the idea of leaving Donald and Goofy behind felt a bit cruel to him, but he was hungry out of his mind. "That does sound like a fantastic idea, Anya, but—, "he looked down. "I just wanted to get something quick so I can go find Donald and Goofy," he lied, giving Anya an innocent look.

She rolled her eyes, "All right, all right. I'll go get you a snack, scaredy-cat." She spun back around into the hall muttering about men being helpless. She called back over her shoulder before she disappeared, "Your friends are in the hallway next to the kitchen. Behave while I'm gone, okay?" She pointed her finger in the air, "Oh, and I have some important questions for you when I get back." She disappeared down the hall after a few seconds.

Sora scratched his head and smiled sheepishly to himself, he wondered what sort of questions he would ask her. After a second or so he headed back towards the kitchen to get to the hallway on the otherside. He was a bit nervous to see Donald and Goofy again; was that normal? His stomach growled, as if answering his question, he rubbed it gently. "Don't tell me you're scared too tummy. I'm doomed."

As he rounded the corner into the hallway, he was immediately tackled to the ground. Sora laughed out loud as he felt the familiar hugging of Donald and Goofy. "Sora! Huckyuck! We found you! Garwsh, it's been so long!"

"Where have you been?" Donald quacked as he hugged Sora again.

"Well, I've been at home Donald, Destiny Islands, with Kairi and Riku. But...somehow, we were summoned to Russia!"

"Russia?" Goofy asked. "So this is Russia."

"Yeah, and I met a girl named Anya. She said she found us in the snow, and brought us here," Sora explained to his buddies.

All three of them sat there on the floor together, as Sora continued to explain to them what he had already discovered. He told them about the mysterious voice he had heard earlier that morning, and who he was positive it belonged to. They both looked at him with worried eyes. He knew what they were thinking, how was it possible for Xemnas to return? There had to be some explanation, and why was he in Russia of all places?

Just then Anya stepped into the hall and looked down at the three of them sitting on the floor. "Do you want to tell me why you're sitting on the floor when there is a perfectly structured table in the room next to you?"

Sora smiled up at Anya as she held a bag of steaming meatballs. The smell of them filled his nostrils and made his stomach growl again. As he licked his lips, Anya raised her eyebrows at him and leaned towards him saying, "If you want food. I want answers." She smirked as she dangled the food in front of the trio.

Perhaps both of their questions could be answered. The fate of Anya's sanity depended on finding closure about her brother. Did he survive? And if so, what has become of him now?

**A/N: Thank you for reading! Please give me good review so I can start on the next chapter! I apologize again that it has taken so long to get this story moving. Your patience is appreciated as well.**


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